The Silures

Silbury Hill 180

Image by stubob

tjj Aug 20, 2007 20:39:22

In the course of doing some research on the Druid connection with the Culdees, the first (Celtic) Christians, I have come across the Silures - "inhabitants of south west (ancient) Britain and noted for their military prowess and culture". The Romans were frequently defeated and put to rout by them alone. Also said to occupy SE Wales and known as 'the people people of the rocks'.

I was wondering if there could be any connection between them and Silbury. Up till now I have always thought (mainly from information I have read here) that the name Silbury derived from the goddess Sulis and had a connection with water.

I would very much appreciate any views or further information about this tribe of ancient Britons.

moss Aug 21, 2007 07:35:48

Replying to tjj

Borrowed this book awhile back its an interesting read, the celtic horse fittings were beautiful, and the Uffington White horse could be traced in the curvileanear design on some of the bronze fittings........

Searching for the Silures: The Iron Age in South-East Wales (Haunted Britain S.) by Raymond Howell (Paperback - 10 Nov 2006)

Silures, so it says on the web, maybe comes from the latin and means, as you say, People of the Rocks, because of the mountains of Wales.

Sulis (being the feminine).. Tombo did a marvellous essay on this one, but its no longer around.. Bob Stewart in The Waters of the Gap, gives the following Celtic explanation...
SUIL
Irish - it means an 'eye' or a hole
Gaelic - an 'eye' the centre ofa whirlpool, opening or orifice
Suileath - sharp sighted and knowing..
All of which tie in neatly with the sacred nature of the hot springs of Bath emerging from the underground.
If this is interpreted in a celtic fashion, than what you have is that this particular goddess of the underworld was also 'far-seeing' and 'knowing'. As a name it was also used by the romans because they also directly married celtic/roman god names (in their colonisations) within the environmental nature of the place.

Burl (not much help) says of of Silbury that it could refer to the 'the mound where willows grow' or could derive from 'Sigla' Old Norse boundary mark..... Tombo used the argument that Silbury was an 'eye' I think, so thats how he tied the Silbury/Suil up....

Rhiannon Aug 22, 2007 11:40:29

Replying to tjj

ooh tjj I found this page
http://www.roman-britain.org/tribes/silures.htm
which is very interesting because it's got translations of what Tacitus etc were saying about them at the time. Which is all very biased I'm sure, but at least it's contemporary.
I found a whole load of stuff about them and then discovered that it was actually a 18th?C pack of lies and fantasy - I guess that's all too common.
I'm sure I'm packed with Silurian blood myself.
It's 100% irrelevant, but one of my favourite book titles is "Silurian Cephalopods of the Welsh Borderland." It's dull and technical about fossils, but I love the way the words roll off the tongue.